More Summer Must-Haves

Summer isn’t over yet! Here are more of my summertime favorite products! I have recently started skating again and love the skates from  Xino Sports. Inline skates (otherwise known as rollerblades) became quite popular in the 90’s. Although I can’t do all the stunts and tricks, I find them a lot of fun! I love the quality of the skates and they will be a hit with both children and adults.

About Xino Sports
Committed to helping children stay active and go outdoors, Xino Sports offers a complete line of unbeatable products designed to accomplish each of these goals. Every item produced by Xino Sports doubles as a tool that will inspire a greater sense of imagination, creativity, and responsibility when placed into the hands of children eager to play in and learn about the world around them.
Raising children in the 21st century poses unique challenges and concerns parents have never encountered before. Xino Sports is here to encourage the return of traditional family values, to make unforgettable memories, and to deepen familial and community bonds with quality outdoor and athletic toys and equipment.
For more information, visit https://xinosports.com/ or call at 844-668-5572.

Looking to have an end-of-summer party? Zak Designs has some great options to choose from.

The 2021 Summer Prints collection includes the Pink Tropics and Flamingo patterns, which both bring a taste of exotic summer style to tables in a unique way. The Pink Tropics pattern brings together tropical leaves and exotic birds to create a distinctive island feel while the Flamingo set features the most iconic of birds in a colorful and whimsical way.

Both the Summer Print 12pc. dinnerware sets include dinner plates, salad plates, and bowls for a complete place setting for four. And because all the pieces are made from durable melamine, they’re ideal for the pool, patio, or wherever the summer fun takes you. More information is available at www.zak.com.

I love this next product because it really brings back memories for me of the days when I was a teenager. My first car was a VW bug and I have had a couple more since then. PLAYMOBIL debuted a brand new line with VOLKSWAGEN this past Spring. The PLAYMOBIL Volkswagen Beetle is an absolutely perfect recreation of the iconic 1960 classic, featuring a rear engine and roof rack complete with surfboard! Even the classic PLAYMOBIL figures fit the vibe!

The new PLAYMOBIL Volkswagen T1 Camping Bus perfectly delivers that carefree “California feeling,” ready for adventure and complete with a roof rack and fully equipped with seating and sleeping areas, travel kitchen, and plenty of storage. They are both sure to be a hit this Summer!

I noticed that during the pandemic and continuing this summer…Bike riding is big! I wanted to share a cute photo of my bike and me wearing the cute Rose Gold bike helmet below but ordering a bike online has turned into quite an ordeal and my bike is not yet ready to ride. But, I love these helmets.

Thousand – the woman-led, safe and sustainable brand known for it’s vintage-inspired aesthetics – is launching it’s 3rd helmet, this one for young riders right in time for spring and summer cycling. 
The Thousand Jr. Collection includes a kid-size of its popular Heritage adult helmet in four distinctive colorways, corresponding bicycle bells and a variety of sticker packs to let kids express their unique style and point of view.

Understanding inclusivity, a growing awareness of social issues and a strong focus on identity expression in the 5-11 age group was central to crafting the Thousand Jr. collection. After interviewing more than 100 kids, Thousand determined design elements such as colorways, finishings and themes of sticker packs based on the feedback of self-identified girls, boys and gender nonbinary participants in the focus groups. There is even a sticker pack dedicated to young activists.

Find out more at https://www.explorethousand.com/

Photo Credit: SoCal City Kids

Summer vacation is a great time to do puzzles!  I just love these three puzzles from beloved author and illustrator, Sandra Boynton! She is a favorite of mine so I was excited to receive the puzzles. I really like the Hippo Birdie Two Ewe 300-Piece Birthday Puzzle. I think that is actually my favorite of the three. (On-sale since July 6th, 2021; $19.95), the famed Boynton birthday card (with over 10 million copies sold, so far!) is now in puzzle form. Start a new family tradition by presenting it on every birthday, and when all the pieces are in place, everyone can heartily sing: Hippo Birdie Two Ewe, Hippo Birdie Two Ewe! It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Hidden Cows 1,000-Piece Puzzle (On-sale since July 6th, 2021; $19.95) is the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary evening at home, in the simple and tasteful living room of an ordinary pig family—mother, father, daughter, toddler, twin chickens. But look closely. As you carefully assemble the 1,000 pieces, you may begin to notice some surprising visitors: HIDDEN COWS. There are at least three of them. It’s definitely subtle, though.

Filled with the signature humor of Sandra Boynton, Puzzle Complaints 500-Piece Puzzle (On-sale since July 6th, 2021; $19.95)is a puzzle like no other. Containing all the typical (and not so typical) puzzle flaws: upside down lettering, suddenly changing fonts, a seemingly misplaced piece from another puzzle, inexplicably shouting chickens—the works—Puzzle Complaints is sure to inspire frustration and bursts of laughter! Find out more here.

About Sandra Boynton

Sandra Boynton is a beloved American cartoonist, children’s author, songwriter, and highly sporadic short film director. Starting with the 1977 publication of Hippos Go Berserk!, Boynton has written and illustrated over sixty children’s books and eight general audience books, including five New York Times bestsellers. Her renowned books include Barnyard Dance!, Snuggle Puppy!, Belly Button Book!, EEK! Halloween!, But Not the Hippopotamus, and The Going to Bed Book. More than 70 million of her books have been sold—“mostly to friends and family,” she says. Boynton has also written and produced six albums of unconventional children’s music, which include performances by Brian Wilson, Brad Paisley, Kevin Kline, Kacey Musgraves, Blues Traveler, Alison Krauss, Meryl Streep, Spin Doctors, Davy Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Patti LuPone, Neil Sedaka, and “Weird Al” Yankovic in a duet with Kate Winslet. Three of Boynton’s albums have been certified Gold (over 500,000 copies sold), and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, has gone Platinum (over one million copies sold). Boynton has also written and directed eleven short musical films, including “One Shoe Blues,” starring B. B. King; and two animated shorts: “When Pigs Fly,” sung by Ryan Adams, and “Tyrannosaurus Funk,” sung by Samuel L. Jackson, which won the 2018 Grand Prize for Best Children’s Animation Short from the Rhode Island International Film Festival. In 2008, Boynton received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cartoonists Society.

Boynton has four perfect children, and an equally perfect granddaughter and grandson. She and her husband Jamie McEwan, a writer and whitewater expeditionist, raised their family on a very old New England farm (it’s now a non-working farm, except for the hyperactive cartoon chickens and disaffected imaginary cows and such). Her studio there is in a converted barn that has perhaps the only hippopotamus weathervane in America.

I love these next products because they are perfect for summer break. Children can play and also learn at the same time. Kids can continue to learn throughout the summer and into the school year with fun products that offer educational value such as Magformers. Magformers are the industry leader in magnetic building toys for children. They believe it is vital for children to develop through creativity and their patented, ‘always attracting’ magnetic technology delivers a unique constructional play experience. Magformers has a commitment to providing a high quality, reliable product that inspires the creators of the future. All while promoting screen-free play and all of their products are STEM.org approved.

Magformers Camping Adventure Set

Magformers Camping adventure toy set allows your little builder to immerse themselves in the excitement of a summer camping experience. Use Magformers squares and triangles to build campfires and tents. Add Mason & Mutt to your scenes and create your own stories! Ages: 3+ MSRP: $39.99. 

Tileblox Rainbow 14Pc Set

Tileblox Rainbow 14Pc set is great for builders looking to begin learning to build and create. Use 6 different colored triangles and 8 squares to create your own small house or cube. A perfect introduction to TileBlox and a great addition to your collection. Each geometric shape contains magnets that let you build with endless possibilities! TileBlox is perfect for STEM education and when playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store. Ages 3+. MSRP: $14.99.

Happy August!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples of the above items. Most images were also provided.

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